Tragedy and Tribulations
by AmyVS7
Summary: A normal arrest which, unexpectantly, leads to more tragedy, along with serious consequences for one member of the Law and Order UK team...but will this event lead to a happy ending? Matt/Alesha. Law and Order UK.


Law & Order: UK fic:

Pairing: Matt/Alesha

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all

Summary: A normal arrest which un-expectantly leads to more tragedy, along with serious consequences, for one member of the Law and Order UK team. Matt/Alesha.

I have become a big fan of of Law & Order: UK, and seeing as though i found very few Law and Order: UK fics on here i decided to write one of my own. I hope you enjoy it.

**Tragedy and Tribulations**

"Alesha" said James as he came up to her desk, she looked up at hearing her name "I know it's late but could you head over to the police station and get the forensic reports, Natalie says the guys have some more leads for us aswell. You can go home once you've got those."

"Yeah no problem" Alesha replied happily, putting on her beige colour mac and her purple scarf, complete with her black satchal bag "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Upon arrival at the police station, Alesha knocked on the office door of DI Natalie Chandler.

"Hi Natalie, James said you've got some new leads for us?"

"Oh I'm sorry Alesha, Ronnie and Matt were supposed to be back by now with the information, but I suspect they have got side tracked and gone for tea."

"Typical of them really" Alesha giggled.

"What can I say, very dedicated those two" she smiled, as she put away some paperwork in a filing cabinet.

"To what, the new leads or the food?"

Natalie laughed "Knowing Ronnie, it will be the latter." Alesha laughed too before Natalie continued "They'll be in Freddie's Cafe, they're always in there." She began to put on her coat "I'm sorry Alesha it seems you have had a wasted journey. You may aswell come back in the morning, bring James with you and we'll get together at say, 10am and talk about it?"

"I've got a better idea" grinned Alesha, as she got out her phone to ring James.

...

The other side of London...

"Y'know we should _really_ go and check out Barker's flat" Matt said to Ronnie as he sat opposite him and put down two trays of chips.

"Ah a copper is allowed to stop for his tea" Ronnie commented, as he began to tuck into his food.

Freddie's cafe was a small little traditional cafe, it was rather run-down but it was still quite busy. No surprise considering it was 5:55pm on a dreary November evening, and everyone wanted to get in from the cold.

"Yeah but if Gov finds out we aren't following up the lead" continued Matt "Then we'll seriously feel her wrath tomorrow."

"Ah she's nothing" said Ronnie after swallowing a load of chips "Nothing compared to the second Mrs. Brooks anyway, see the thing you have to learn my boy is, to deal with the Gov you just need to butter her up, just give her a takeaway or something she'll easily forget ..."

_Smack!_

"Oww! What the ..." Ronnie turned round seeing Natalie standing directly behind him with a smirk and raised eyebrows, Alesha and James were also standing next to her, the two of them could not keep the broad smiles off their faces as Ronnie rubbed the back of his head.

"Surprise!" Alesha said, trying not to laugh, as was Matt who had seen the three of them coming into the cafe.

"Matty you could have warned me!" Ronnie said to his co-worker.

"Nah was much more fun this way" Matt grinned as the rest of them came to sit down, with Alesha grabbing a chip from his plate "Oi you!" he said with a chuckle, Alesha laughed too as she sat down in the chair next to him.

Matt laughed and rolled his eyes, before Ronnie asked "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, I came to the station to check on your new leads, but you weren't there" Alesha replied, taking off her scarf.

"Ah yes, about that" Ronnie tried to make an excuse "Gov we were just on our way to..."

"And you happened to come across food first?" she raised her eyebrows at them, as she too sat down at the table.

"Yeah ..." Matt failed to come up with a convincing response "But we'll head off now, come on Ron."

Ronnie sighed, regretfully leaving his food behind.

"We'll finish these then" James replied cheerfully with a grin to the boys, he and Natalie tucking into Ronnie's chips.

"Yeah cheers Matt" Alesha giggled, eating his chips "Mmm delicious!"

"I'll get you for that" Matt gave her a cheeky grin before dragging Ronnie out of the cafe door. Leaving Natalie, James and Alesha laughing behind.

...

A mile away, Matt and Ronnie pulled up outside a house that was a good five properties away from Barker's ground floor flat (each house converted into two flats).

"Right come on..." said Matt, just as he was about to get out of the car.

Ronnie's eyes looked alarmed "Hang on, is that smoke?"

Matt looked back at the house and saw, sure enough, smoke billowing out of the windows "Oh my god, call 999."

Matt and Ronnie got out of their car and rushed towards the house, Ronnie phoning the emergency services in the process. Only within seconds for the suspect, Alan Barker, to be legging it out of the property.

"Oi!" Matt grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall outside, handcuffing him "Alan Barker, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Elaine Mills, you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say will be given in evidence." He grabbed him roughly "Come on."

"Wait!" said Ronnie urgently "Did you do this? Did you set this place on fire?"

"No comment" Barker replied, gruffly.

Matt sighed "Come on" he and Ronnie each grabbed an arm and walked back to the car when Matt said curiously "Ron, can you hear shouting?" Matt looked around frantically, before his eyes landed back at the house and saw something which made his blood run cold. "There's a woman trapped in there!" he gave no hesitation as he started running back to the house.

Ronnie shut the door of the car with the suspect inside, locking the door, before he shouted "Matt! What the hell are you doing?"

"Help!" screamed the woman as she banged on the glass of the window of the second floor flat "Someone help me, please!"

"Matt, don't! It isn't safe!" shouted Ronnie again, but it was too late, Matt had just managed to kick the door in and he had gone inside.

Ronnie got on the phone and rang Natalie.

"Gov, we've got Barker, but the place is up in flames. Matt has run in to get the woman out from the other flat. Get here now, the emergency services are on their way."

Within a couple of minutes James pulled up behind Ronnie's car, with Alesha and Natalie in tow.

"Oh my god!" Alesha got out of the car and ran down to Ronnie, before she looked at the house "Matt! Matt!" she cried.

"It's okay Alesha, he'll get out" Ronnie tried to comfort her.

"Why the hell did he go in?" Natalie asked Ronnie as she and James had managed to catch up.

"There's a woman trapped in there, he went in to help her get out. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen" Ronnie looked back at the building "Come on Matt, come on."

Suddenly the windows of the top floor flat blew out in a massive explosion.

"Matt!" screamed Alesha, now crying "Matt! Please! No!" she tried to rush towards the house, but Ronnie and James pulled her back.

"Alesha, no!" Ronnie got hold of Alesha as she cried.

"Right, i'm going in there" James said, starting to head towards the house, but Natalie held him back.

"Oh no you don't!" Natalie said, forcibly "I'm not letting you go in there!"

"But I can't just stand by and let Matt struggle in there!" stressed James "He needs help!"

A loud cry from the doorway of the house, alerted all four of them to look up to see through the smoke, someone was emerging carrying the body of someone else.

"Matt!" Natalie and Alesha exclaimed in unison, recognising the figure.

"Help! I need help here!" Matt cried as he appeared, holding the body of the woman in his arms.

James immediately ran up to help Matt down the steps; James got the woman from Matt's arms and put her on the path outside the house. Ronnie grabbed hold of Matt who was coughing profusely.

"Matt!" cried Alesha as she rushed up to him "Oh Matt, thank god!" putting her arm around him to help him get to safety.

"How's the woman?" Ronnie asked, as he and Alesha sat Matt down on the ground outside the house.

"It's not looking good" James replied, sorrowfully "Was there anyone else in there, Matt?"

"No, I checked" Matt replied, as Alesha cradled him as they sat on the grass, looking very weak and covered in soot.

"Matt, I'm going to get you some water, alright?" Ronnie said, anxiously.

Matt coughed "Okay..."

Leaving Matt in Alesha's arms on the ground, as Natalie and James attended to the very weak woman. "Where is that bloody ambulance!" Natalie shouted down the phone. Whilst their conversation drowned out as Alesha talked to Matt.

"Why did you go in there, Matt?" Alesha asked, worriedly "You could have been killed!"

"Someone had to save the woman..." he gave a small cough "I couldn't stand out here knowing she was trapped inside. Anyone would have done the same thing."

"Oh I don't know about that..." Alesha said truthfully before giving him a beaming smile "But you did do it...and I'm proud of you."

"Thanks" Matt gave a weak smile, before coughing more forcibly than before.

"Matt, are you sure you're okay?" Alesha inquired, looking at him with more concern as she began rubbing his back "Can I get you anything?"

Matt managed a small smile as he momentarily stopped coughing "You're all I need."

Alesha laughed "Of all the times to turn on the charm, Matt."

"Can't blame a man for trying" he gave a smile "Y'know, Alesha, I was wondering if you fanc..."and he began coughing, but much more violently this time.

"Matt! Come on Matt, its okay, come on breathe for me" Alesha started panicking and Natalie rushed over to help, whilst Ronnie came back over with the water. But before he got there Matt slumped unconsciously into Alesha's arms.

Alesha checked his vital signs "He's stopped breathing!" she moved Matt to put him flat on the ground and began giving him mouth to mouth, just as the sirens from the fire engines, ambulances and police appeared.

"Alesha, stop" Natalie said, putting her arms around the young crown prosectutor to try and pull Alesha away from Matt's unconscious form on the ground "Let the paramedics do it."

"No, I've got to keep going!" Alesha said frantically, she tried again but there was still no response.

The paramedics got out of the ambulances, one pair went to Matt, the other paramedics to the woman that James had been trying to resuscitate.

"Please, please help him!" Alesha cried to the paramedics working on Matt, one of them put an oxygen mask over Matt's mouth.

Alesha was crying again as Natalie hugged her, all three of them watching on as the paramedics did their jobs. Within a minute the male paramedic gave a small smile and a nod to them "He's breathing."

Alesha gave a cry of relief as did Ronnie and Natalie. Whilst James came over to them shaking his head "She's dead...too much smoke inhalation."

"You tried your best mate" Ronnie said sadly, brieftly putting his hand on James's shoulder, as they saw the woman's body being put into a black bag and then into the back of the ambulance.

"Is Matt going to be okay?" James asked, as they watched him being put onto the stretcher, still unconscious, but breathing.

"He's as strong as an Ox that boy, he'll be okay" Ronnie said seriously before joking "He'd better be because it's his round in the pub tomorrow."

This gained a laugh from everyone, even Alesha who had stopped crying, but was still watching them put Matt into the ambulance with a very worried look on her face.

"We'll see you down the hospital then" the paramedic said as he closed the doors, one of them remaining inside with Matt.

"Yeah we'll meet you there" James replied, before the other paramedic got in the front and drove off. "Should one of us stay at the scene, if the police need us for anything?" James thought.

"No, we'll deal with that later" said Natalie, sadly "Looks like we've got another murder to add to Barker's charge. But for now we need to do all we can for Matt."

"Right, well first off I will get the police to take Barker in their car and put him in custody" thought Ronnie "And Gov do you want a lift to the hospital, and James you take Alesha?"

"Yeah of course" James replied, and saw that Alesha had gone very quiet, but she nodded to the idea and headed to the car. The flames being put out in the house by the fire-fighters as they walked away.

...

The four of them entered the hospital and headed towards Matt's room, and were quickly met by one of the paramedics and a nurse.

"How's he doing?" Ronnie asked.

"Much improved, he's a little drowsy and weak, but his breathing is much better" said the nurse with a caring smile.

The paramedic also smiled "He woke up just as we arrived at the hospital, he asked for someone called Alesha as soon as he became conscious."

Alesha blushed bright red and everyone grinned at her.

The nurse smiled "He's been continually asking for you since we got him in here too."

"That's just typical!" joked Ronnie "I'm the man's best friend and colleague, and he only gives a thought to the good looking woman."

"I'm sorry Ronnie" said Alesha, awfully embarrassed.

"Oh don't worry love" Ronnie assured her "I'd do exactly the same thing in his shoes."

Natalie rolled her eyes but grinned.

"You're all welcome to go in and see him, but he needs his rest so don't be there too long" the nurse informed them.

"Thank-you" James replied as they both headed off.

The four of them entered into Matt's room, his face was cleaned of soot and he was dressed in a hospital gown. He was slightly raised up in his bed, with an oxygen mask over his mouth, but he took it off as soon as they all came in.

"Hey!" they all said as they surrounded his bed.

"Hi guys" Matt replied quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Alesha asked, worriedly.

"Much better" Matt replied "I don't know why they are making such a fuss, I'm fine."

"Well you did stop breathing son, no wonder they are being cautious" Ronnie replied.

"Yeah but I'm okay now...don't see why I have to wear this thing" he instigated the gown.

"Was going to say, loving the gown look on you Matty" Ronnie commented.

"Oh ha-ha" Matt replied, causing everyone to laugh.

"Do you need anything?" Natalie asked.

"I could kill for a coffee."

"Think you should be sticking to water" James replied with a grin.

Matt gave a minute smile, but his attention was quickly drawn to Alesha, who had moved to sit on the edge of his bed as she asked "Anything else you need?"

"No...no, I" he kept gazing at her "I'm happy with what I have right here."

Ronnie rolled his eyes but grinned, thinking of an idea and he coughed loudly "Uh, Gov, James, do you both fancy getting a coffee? See if we can wangle one in for old Matty."

"Sure" Natalie responded, catching on to Ronnie's plan, and James too was only too happy to oblige.

"Back in a bit mate" Ronnie grinned at them both, before the three of them left Alesha and Matt alone.

"I've got a funny feeling they planned that" Matt responded as he could see them all watching the two of them from outside the room through the window, but they had quickly glanced away as they had seen Matt look in their direction.

"Oh I wonder what made you think that, Detective Sergeant" Alesha smiled, however she stopped smiling within seconds as she looked at Matt seriously "I was so frightened Matt...when you stopped breathing...I thought you were going to die in my arms" she looked tearful again and Matt sat up further in his bed and took her hands.

"Oh Alesha ... babe, I'm so sorry. Aww come here" he brought her into a hug "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

"Matt, please don't ever go running into any burning buildings again" Alesha said sorrowfully, as she brought herself out of the hug "I don't think i could take it."

"I'll try not to" Matt replied, honestly, still holding her hand.

"I couldn't bear the thought of losing you..." she looked directly back at him, her eyes were evidence to how strongly she meant this. There was a tiny pause where they just gazed at eachother, before Matt broke the silence with a bashful laugh "I have been a bit of an idiot haven't I?"

"Just a bit" Alesha said, gaining a smile from both of them "But I forgive you."

"I'm glad" Matt grinned "Y'know, you're the first person I thought of when I woke up."

"I know, the paramedic and the nurse said" Alesha admitted, now beginning to blush "Ronnie isn't too happy it wasn't him."

"I'll just buy him lunch, he'll get over it."

Alesha giggled "Y'know you never did finish off your sentence before you feel unconscious."

Matt remembered what he was going to ask Alesha, he now felt bashful again "Well I ... what I was going to say ...was ... do you ... fancy coming for a drink with me ... sometime?"

"As in a friend's type of drink ... or ... a date kind of drink?" she teased.

"... A date kind of drink" Matt said shyly "If you like? I mean you don't have to say yes or anything I just thought ..."

Alesha reached across and gave Matt a deep kiss on the lips.

Outside the room Ronnie, James and Natalie each beamed at the two of them.

"Took their time!" Ronnie commented "Thank the lord for that I was beginning to think that was never going to happen."

James grinned "Shall we leave them to it, and go and get that coffee?"

"Yeah and some sandwiches, I'm bloody starving!"

James laughed as Natalie and Ronnie began arguing on their way to the vending machines, but not before Ronnie had stuck his head round the door of Matt's room and said "At long bloody last!" giving them both a cheeky grin before heading off with the others.

Ronnie's interruption broke Alesha and Matt's kiss, and they turned back to eachother once he had left, both smiling and laughing at what Ronnie had said.

"So is that a yes then?" Matt asked Alesha, keenly.

"Yes" Alesha beamed "I'd love to."

Matt smiled brightly and reached in and kissed Alesha again.

...

_I know i am very cruel for putting poor Matt through that (and i hated doing it, i love Matt's character, plus he is absolutely gorgeous! lol) but i wanted something dramatic to provoke a big reaction from Alesha. I was sort of influenced by the 'Paradise' episode (Series 1, episode 6)._

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. I have more Matt/Alesha fics, all a lot happier, so go check them out if you're interested :) _

_Review would be sooo nice :) thanks for reading! xx_


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